About
One of only a couple dozen surviving C-97 Stratofreighters, this plane's fate saw it flown into the now-closed Dodgeville Municipal Airport in Wisconsin and subsequently's towed to the Don Q Inn, where it now sits in a field.
The original plan for the military transport aircraft, which never took shape, was to open it as a coffee shop. Since then it has often been used for filming commercials, and the fuselage was once signed by Farrah Fawcett.
The C-97 was developed by Boeing towards the end of World War II, based on the B-29 bomber. The first Stratofreighter flew on July 8, 1947, and the model was used during the Berlin Airlift and Korea War. Only 56 were ever built.
Sadly, this C-97 has been neglected and is looking rather shabby. But there are stairs up to an open door and it can be viewed free of charge.
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Know Before You Go
If you plan to visit, consider staying at the Don Q as it is a rather unique hotel in its own right. Nearby are the incredibly bizarre House on the Rock, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, and the Cave of the Mounds.
Published
January 19, 2017
